This is a new construction of a Pharmacy, in the center of Osaka city area of Japan.

The site once used to be a farm road. When the World War II ended, a small house was built on the road and stayed there illegally for several ten years. After the house was removed, the site then became a residential land.

In front of this newly built pharmacy, there are remains of a sidewalk, which define an original function of the site used to have, thus the building is set back.

That the site was a road, and that there was a small illegally-built house, were the two historical contexts we valuated as the uniqueness of the site.

The form of the building follows the shape of the site with a gabled roof on top which realizes the simplest form of a house. The continuous ceiling which visually creates almost a linear perspective reflects the linear shape of the site, the path or the road.

Though it is surrounded by volumetric urban buildings, we kept the minimum volume of a single story house, recalling a persisting memory of the site, the little house.

The structure is consisted of simple steel-frame which allows the wood columns and rafters to be exposed, thus provides warm and intimate atmosphere to the customers.

Surprised there's no roof windows, the middle section would be much lighter without the need for artificial lighting.

http://www.DesignPOV.com Scott Sowers

Forged through urban density.

shien

simple but lack of natural

abc

I I can't help thinking that this is very selfish design considering their groundfloor neighbours.

Emma

Regarding ground floor neighbors no worries, it’s office space and they usually shutter all windows in Japan to only use artificial light (i know…incredible) so I dont think the tiny house would deprive the light. It wouldn’t have been built if so.

claire

The detailing is beautiful. Can anyone pick out what the sheet lining is?